A novel FePO4 nanosized fertilizer is as efficient as triple superphosphate in sustaining the growth of cucumber plants

Abstract Background Behaviour of nanofertilizers in plant-soil system can be different from that of conventional chemical fertilizers due to their peculiar chemical-physical properties, and their effectiveness is still poorly understood. Methods We tested the effectiveness of a FePO4 NF in sustaining the growth of cucumber plants in a pot experiment, compared to a conventional TSP fertilizer. Plants were grown for 28 d on a P deficient soil and growth parameters, nutrient concentrations in plant tissues, P availability in soil, activity of enzymes involved in C, N, P and S mineralization and the structure of the soil microbial communities were determined. Results and conclusions Results showed no significant differences in dry weight, leaf area, SPAD index and root growth between NF and TSP fertilized plants. Conversely, P availability in soil and P content in plant tissues at the end of the experiment was significantly higher after TSP than NF fertilization, whereas no major differences were observed for other nutrients. Among the measured soil enzyme activities, acid phosphatase, β-glucosidase and arylsulfatase activities presented similar values between NF- and TSP-treated soils, the alkaline phosphatase activity presented higher values in TSP- than in NF-fertilized soil, whereas the protease activity showed higher values in NF- than in TSP-fertilized soils. Microbial community structure of NF- and TSP-fertilized soils showed significant differences for archaeal, bacterial and fungal communities although the microbial community profiles clustered generally closer to each other among all treatments. We concluded that the tested FePO4 NF can be an efficient alternative to conventional TSP fertilizers.